AMES, Iowa — Iowa State University athletic director Jamie Pollard said he plans to retire next summer after a 22-year run leading the school’s sports programs.
Pollard, who is the nation’s longest-tenured active athletic director at a Power Four conference program, is set to step down on June 30, 2027. The Big 12 school said it will begin a national search for Pollard’s successor in the fall.
“My wife, Ellen, and I look forward to the next chapter in our life’s journey,” Pollard said in a released statement, “and it is important to us that we transition now, while we are both healthy and young, so we can fully enjoy our retirement years.”
He added: “When we moved to Ames in 2005, we did not anticipate the impact being a Cyclone would have on our family. The personal and professional opportunities our family has experienced during the past 21 years have been truly amazing.”
Iowa State has won 24 Big 12 team titles in eight sports during Pollard’s tenure. The football program has played in 11 bowl games, including a win in the 2021 Fiesta Bowl under coach Matt Campbell, who was hired in 2016 and had a successful 10-year run before leaving for Big Ten member Penn State last December.